Mandarin Abyss
by writer.Rai
Summary: [REWRITTEN] What if Mikan wasn't happy go lucky? What if she arrived at Gakuen Alice cold and indifferent? She wasn't originally like this—what happened to her? Our favorite fire caster is determined to find out. Eventual NxM


Hello, everyone! This fanfiction may/may not be familiar to you... However, just as a side note, this is **not** me stealing a previously existing plot/story and writing it off as my own. In fact, this is my story! Some of you may know me (then again, you might not—it has been a couple years since I've been active) through my previous penname xRaiMoonsAbyss. As I've explained on my current profile ( ), while I initially decided not to continue any of my existing fanfiction, after going over a couple of them, I now plan on rewriting a handful of them. As they're rewritten, they will be deleted from my old profile in accordance with guidelines (please check my profile for more details)—for example, the original Mandarin Abyss has already been deleted from xRaiMoonsAbyss.

Moving on—the first fanfic I will be redoing is none other than Mandarin Abyss (rejoice!). I hope my readers, new and old, will enjoy my matured writing style, and will support me from here on out!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice, all rights given to Higuchi Tachibana. **

**Warnings: **Slightly AU, mild vulgarity (eventually)

**Summary:** What if Mikan wasn't happy go lucky? What if she arrived at Gakuen Alice cold and indifferent? She wasn't originally like this—what happened to her? Our favorite fire caster is determined to find out.

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**Mandarin Abyss**

**Chapter 1: The Lone Tangerine**

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She gazed at the place she'd never call home again—granted she never considered it as such to begin with. The girl sighed; finally she was free. The girl chuckled, knowing full well she wouldn't miss a single thing when she departed. Her parents were never there for her, her childhood friends left her behind, and ever since _that_ day, she was treated as though she were a monster. In the end, her upbringing caused her to grow cold and indifferent. In the end, she never could find a reason for her existence. With one last look at the home that never was, she stepped into a black car and didn't bother looking back.

**Mikan's POV.**

I awoke from my nap as the overly-flamboyant teacher—his name escapes me— announced our arrival. Gakuen Alice huh? Glancing out the window at the enormous school building, I briefly wondered how much money was put in to its creation. If the government has enough to construct a school prison, what else could they possibly be investing in? I'm broken out of my reverie by the pansy—for the life of me, what was his name?—who glances at me nervously. I turn to him and nod my acknowledgement. I'd rather not speak unless I'm required to. Growing up, I never really had a say and my opinion never mattered, so I've learned to cherish the moments in which I am able to speak.

The car pulled to a stop and the door was opened for me. I stepped out and stretched, letting out a small grunt as a faint 'pop' came from my stiff joints. I muttered a quick thank you to the driver, and received something of a pitiful look in response. Scoffing, I followed the ornate man, taking in my surroundings as I did.

As minutes continued ticking on, I found myself growing irritated at the obvious tension my guide was radiating. Smirking, I did what any normal person with even a smidge of etiquette would do—I tripped him. I did not, however, expect the adult to pass out upon his impact with the cold ground, and I grumbled when I realized he would not be waking any time soon. With an exasperated sigh, I dragged the elder by his leg and walked around aimlessly. Why couldn't the school have supplied me with a more... competent guide? Lost in thought, I accidentally bumped into a pink-haired girl who quickly muttered an apology before looking strangely at me.

"Sorry, I should have been paying more attention to my surroundi—wait, is that Narumi you have there?" I looked to her and then to the man I was dragging behind me.

"Ah, so that's what his name was." I said absentmindedly. "Sorry for troubling you, but could you by chance tell me where I need to go? My current guide is a tad bit... incapacitated, if you will." I continued in a monotonous voice.

"Oh, you must be the new student!" I could almost see the light bulb going off in her head. "My name is Misaki Harada, it's nice to meet you. Here, I'll lead the way!" The girl—Misaki, was it?—grabs my hand and pulls me along. Stunned, I stare at our intertwined hands before hesitantly pulling away. She turns to me with a confused expression, and I shrug, signaling her to continue walking.

"So, where are you from, Mikan-chan?" My eyes turned to her sharply.

"I don't recall ever introducing myself to you, Harada-senpai." My companion flinched as she realized her mistake.

"Well, I happened to coincidentally pass by the office earlier and overhead a couple of teachers talking about your arrival!" the girl offered, sheepishly scratching the back of her head. "Um, so, here we are, Mikan-chan! It's been a pleasure guiding you; I hope to see you around soon!" I'm left standing in front of the office as she scurries away, and it is only until her figure is no longer visible to me that I realize I left my flashy teacher behind. Shrugging, I enter the office and glance over all its occupants before a man clad in black walks over to me.

**Misaki's POV.**

"Yo Misaki." A voice greeted suddenly. Turning, I see my 'best friend' Tsubasa Andou grinning like a mad man. "How did it go?" I sighed.

"It could have gone better. She nearly caught me, and she's probably wary of me now... This is your entire fault! She probably thinks I'm crazy!" I yelled at him, exasperated. I glare pointedly when he chuckles.

"Calm down, Misaki. We all think you're crazy, so it makes no difference if one more person is added to the list!" He laughs and I pout at him, narrowing my eyes at his playfulness.

"She seems like a nice kid, though. Just a bit... introverted."

"Oh?" He sounds interested and raises a brow at me expectantly.

"I grabbed her hand to show her the way to the office but after a while she pulled away. What really stuck out to me, though, is that she pulled away slowly. It's almost as if she craves human contact but won't allow herself any." I tell him as I recalled the incident. His eyes softened sadly and a bittersweet smile graced his features. I opened my mouth to question him, but immediately snapped it shut when he directed his gaze to me. The silence engulfed us, and I was nervous as to what I should do—he'd never been this quiet around me before. It made me wonder what was going on inside his mind.

"Hey... Misaki?" He asked, breaking the silence. He stared at me with a glint of seriousness and deep sadness hidden in the depths of his eyes. I swallowed nervously—what could have happened to make him like this? "Promise me..." He trailed off.

"Promise you...what?" I didn't want to push him in to telling me.

"..." He was silent for a moment, as if debating whether to continue on with his request. "Can you promise me that... that you'll watch over her?" ...Does he like her?

"I don't believe Harada-senpai is too keen on assisting you as you stalk an elementary school student, Tsubasa Andou." A voice deadpanned. Flushing brightly, the two of us turn to find Mikan standing beside Persona and Narumi. Oh, when did he get back? I glanced at my companion, only to find that he brightened at the sight of the new student. So he does like her, then...

**END POV.**

"Hello, you two! This is Mikan Sakura, I believe you've heard of her by now. Oh, and Mi-chan, these two are Tsubasa and Misaki of the middle school division, but I believe you've already met." Narumi said cheerfully.

"Don't call me 'Mi-chan', pansy." Mikan replied irritably. Everyone had to suppress a chuckle at the nickname the girl gave the blonde. The girl then stared at Tsubasa thoughtfully before turning her attention to the floor with a scowl. Noticing this, Persona hid a small smirk. For reasons unknown to him, he felt a surge of overprotectiveness wash over him as soon as he had laid eyes on the young girl. While her eyes reflected the painful past she'd endured, specs of life and vitality remained in her rebellious hazel orbs.

"Come, Rookie, we must get you to class before homeroom starts." Persona stated, much to the surprise of the other three. It was rare for the man to display genuine kindness to a new student. With a small glare, Persona motioned for Mikan and Narumi to follow him. Startled, Mikan complied, jogging a bit to catch up to the two adults, hesitantly giving Tsubasa a hug and quietly exchanging a few words before doing so. Tsubasa, surprised by her actions, stared after the girl's retreating back, a happy smile making its way to his face.

"_Don't think I've forgiven you for leaving me, Tsubasa aniki__*****__."_

'Hn, so it seems there's a new girl.' A boy with deep, crimson eyes thought as he observed silently. Feeling eyes on her person, Mikan turned and glared at the offending boy. The male smirked from underneath his punishment mask and gave a small wave cheekily, smirking further when the girl huffed and turned away.

"Mikan Sakura, huh?"

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*** **Aniki – Older brother

Well, that concludes the new and improved first chapter of Mandarin Abyss! I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed editing it! Honestly, it's hard to believe that I originally published this story over 4 years ago in middle school. Now I'm a senior in high school, and I feel way too nostalgic.

Anyway, if this catches the eyes of any of my old readers, please let me know how you feel about this chapter and my (long) overdue return! Feedback would be greatly appreciated from my new readers as well. Please go easy on the critique! Until next time.

-Rai


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